Send your questions about campaigns and elections.

Question: What is the presidential primary and caucus schedule for 2000? – Matt Winslow, Austin, Tex.

Answer: For the longest time this was all in flux, as Iowa, New Hampshire and Louisiana were playing leap frog. Now, with the cancellation of the January 15 Louisiana GOP caucus, this list is thought to be final; any subsequent changes or updates will be announced in future columns.

DATE	EVENT
Jan. 24	Iowa caucus; Alaska GOP caucus
Feb. 1	New Hampshire primary
Feb. 7-13	Hawaii GOP caucus
Feb. 8	Delaware GOP primary
Feb. 19	South Carolina GOP primary
Feb. 22	Arizona GOP primary; Michigan GOP primary
Feb. 23	Nevada GOP caucus (Clark County/Las Vegas only; see 3/21)
Feb. 29	North Dakota GOP caucus; Virginia GOP primary; Washington GOP primary
March 7	California primary; Connecticut primary; Georgia primary; Hawaii Democratic caucus; Idaho Democratic caucus; Maine primary; Maryland primary; Massachusetts primary; Minnesota GOP caucus; Missouri primary; New York primary; North Dakota Democratic caucus; Ohio primary; Rhode Island primary; Vermont primary; Washington caucus
March 9	South Carolina Democratic primary
March 10	Colorado primary; Utah primary; Wyoming GOP caucus
March 11	Arizona Democratic primary; Michigan Democratic primary; Minnesota Democratic caucus
March 12	Nevada Democratic caucus
March 14	Florida primary; Louisiana primary; Mississippi primary; Oklahoma primary; Tennessee primary; Texas primary
March 21	Illinois primary; Nevada GOP caucus (rest of state; see 2/23)
March 27	Delaware Democratic caucus
March 28	Wyoming Democratic caucus
April 4	Kansas primary; Pennsylvania primary; Wisconsin primary
April 15,17	Virginia Democratic caucus
April 22	Alaska Democratic caucus
May 2	D.C. primary; Indiana primary; North Carolina primary
May 9	Nebraska primary; West Virginia primary
May 16	Oregon primary
May 23	Arkansas primary; Idaho GOP primary; Kentucky primary
June 6	Alabama primary; Montana primary; New Jersey primary; New Mexico primary; South Dakota primary

Question: Which primary and caucus states allow independents to vote in either major parties' primaries (as New Hampshire does)? – Elmore Lockley, Yorktown, Va.

Answer: Independents are a key voting bloc in New Hampshire; they comprise 37 percent of the electorate and can vote in either primary. That's why Republican John McCain and Democratic Bill Bradley are wooing them so aggressively. On the outs with the regular party hierarchy, their hope is to get a sizable independent vote. In Maryland, independents may vote in the GOP primary but not in the Democratic primary. In Utah, independents may vote in either. In addition, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Wisconsin hold events in which any registered voter may vote in any primary.

Note: In some states, party rules require that when independent or "non-affiliated" voters ask for a Democratic or Republican ballot, they have to declare their party preference.

Question: I can't understand why New Hampshire is so important. If George W. Bush has such a large lead in the national polls, why should I care that he is behind in New Hampshire? – Marlene Gitterle, Chicago, Ill.

Victory in the N.H. primary did not win them the nomination. (Collection of Ken Rudin)

Answer: One reason is that our political establishment -- journalists, party leaders, activists, etc. -- has a romanticized view of the state. Its tradition of being the "first in the nation" presidential preference primary began in 1952, and in every cycle since, candidates (with media in tow) have flocked to New Hampshire. But by being first, it often attracts the attention of a public that until then had not been focusing on the campaign. That's why the New Hampshire winners invariably find themselves on the front pages of every newspaper in the country the following day.

Theoretically, it's a place where candidates can practice the art of door-to-door, "retail" campaigning, running in a state where it doesn't cost millions and millions of dollars to be competitive. But its reputation of picking winners has been hurt in recent years, and when Bill Clinton won the presidency in 1992 he became the first to do so after having lost the New Hampshire primary. And when Bob Dole lost the primary in 1996 and yet went on to win the GOP nomination, he was the first Republican to do so since Barry Goldwater in 1964.

Actually, it is South Carolina, which holds its event early, that is more and more becoming the key state in the primary calendar, at least on the Republican side. Since Ronald Reagan won there in 1980, GOP front-runners have relied on their South Carolina showing to bounce back from any mishap they may have encountered in Iowa or New Hampshire.

Here's a look at the three states' primary/caucus results since 1952 (where applicable and excluding 1956 and 1984 when GOP incumbents essentially ran unopposed) and the ultimate Republican nominee:

YEAR	IOWA	N.H.	S.C.	NOMINEE
1952	--	Eisenhower	--	Eisenhower
1960	--	Nixon	--	Nixon
1964	--	Lodge	--	Goldwater
1968	--	Nixon	--	Nixon
1972	--	Nixon	--	Nixon
1976	Ford	Ford	--	Ford
1980	Bush	Reagan	Reagan	Reagan
1988	Dole	Bush	Bush	Bush
1992	--	Bush	Bush	Bush
1996	Dole	Buchanan	Dole	Dole

On the Democratic side, the results of Iowa and/or New Hampshire are even less reliable in determining who the nominee will be (excluding 1964 and 1996, when Democratic incumbents essentially ran unopposed):

YEAR	IOWA	N.H.	S.C.	NOMINEE
1952	--	Kefauver	--	Stevenson
1956	--	Kefauver	--	Stevenson
1960	--	Kennedy	--	Kennedy
1968	--	Johnson	--	Humphrey
1972	Uncommitted	Muskie	--	McGovern
1976	Uncommitted	Carter	--	Carter
1980	Carter	Carter	--	Carter
1984	Mondale	Hart	Uncommitted	Mondale
1988	Gephardt	Dukakis	Jackson	Dukakis
1992	Harkin	Tsongas	Clinton	Clinton

Question: Do you feel there is too much emphasis being placed upon the New Hampshire primary? Even if McCain wins New Hampshire, he will have exhausted almost all his campaign funds. Then there may be nothing left because he will be quashed in the other states by Bush. New Hampshire may provide some momentum but let's all remember Paul Tsongas. – Kevin Powers, Memphis, Tenn.

Answer: You have expressed the hope of the Bush camp and the fear of the McCain camp. In the old days, one could use a victory in New Hampshire as a springboard to bigger and better things, in addition to having enough time to raise money for contests down the road. But that was when the primary dates were further spaced apart. Now they are more compressed, making it more difficult to capitalize on any momentum. In 1992, Paul Tsongas learned that a win in New Hampshire is great, but it meant nothing if he had no organization in place or money in the bank for subsequent contests. He was out of the race a month later.

For McCain, the road for 2000 is even more treacherous, as the calendar is more front-loaded than ever. His fundraising has skyrocketed in recent weeks, and he is investing far more time and money than had been anticipated in South Carolina, with its large veteran population. But nearly the entire GOP establishment, from former governors Carroll Campbell and Mike Beasley on down, is working tirelessly for Bush in the state. In Michigan, which votes a few days after South Carolina, Gov. John Engler heads an all-star lineup on behalf of Bush. And in Virginia, which votes a week after that, Gov. Jim Gilmore has his organization already in place for Bush. The feeling is, if McCain doesn't win at least two of three early contests (New Hampshire, South Carolina and his home state of Arizona), it will be brutally tough, if not impossible, for him to wrest the nomination away from Bush.

POST SCRIPT: The mail regarding last week's column on media bias was overwhelming. Some of the comments were helpful and informative, some were mean and vitriolic. In this holiday season, in the spirit of good will to all mankind, I'm going to hold off until the next century -- in mid-January, to be precise -- to revisit the issue. This will be the last column of 1999. In the meantime, happy holidays and a safe New Year's to all!

Got a question? Ask Ken Rudin: junkie@washingtonpost.com

Ken Rudin, political editor at National Public Radio, is also the creator of washingtonpost.com's ScuttleButton contest.